Villa and bell tower at La Villa.
A good name is better than precious ointment.
The proverb may be Biblical but deciding on a good business name is more than a First World problem. After all, a name is not just a label. It can paint a picture, tell a story, evoke a passion.
Choosing carefully will almost certainly save you time and money, according to Spreyton vineyard owners Marcus and Gail Burns. It’s been three years since they received their ‘cease and desist’ letter from a respected Melbourne solicitor. Mere mention of it still rankles an otherwise relaxed and easy-going couple.
“I went ice cold when I read it,” Marcus recalls.
“I thought it was a joke at first,” Gail adds.
Marcus Burns in competition mode, 1984. Image courtesy Sirotti Photography.
Couched in legalese, the letter informed them that Emilia Wines – their business name of choice – had drawn the ire of a consortium of wine producers in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its use in faraway Tasmania contravened a bilateral agreement Australia had signed with the European Union back in 1994.
Independent legal advice soon confirmed the gravity of the situation.
Wisely, the couple did indeed ‘cease and desist’ before the letter’s stated deadline of 1 February 1 2018. What amounted to a business false start prompted the re-labelling and re-packaging of 8,000 bottles of what have since become La Villa Wines.
Now emerging from the uncertain trading conditions created by COVID-19 and a worldwide pandemic, the Burnses admit their journey into wine and viticulture has been a rocky road at times. It began among the Cradle Coast orchards the couple returned to after living gypsy lives in Europe.
Drawn together as lovestruck teens, the pair relocated to Italy during the early 1980s. Marcus was then an up-and-coming cyclist, embarking upon a decade-long career in amateur and professional road racing. Thoughts of owning and operating one of northwest Tasmania’s best small-scale, cool climate vineyards never entered his head as he sped through renowned wine regions like Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna.
“I didn’t even drink wine,” Marcus notes, recalling the heady days of pasta and peletons and his home away from home in the lively city of Bologna.
“Sometimes I’d win crates of the stuff, but I was always happy to drink beer instead.”
The Burnses weren’t the only Tasmanians seeking road racing fame and fortune in the beautiful Italian countryside. Living above their Bologna apartment were close friends Micheal and Mary Wilson. None expressed interest in growing grapes and making wine. The likelihood of the Wilsons one day founding Velo Wines in the Tamar Valley must have seemed even more remote then than the valley itself, on the other side of the world.
La Villa entrance chairs. Images in this post courtesy La Villa.
“Micheal and I raced in the same team for two years,” Marcus explains, acknowledging Wilson’s considerable talents on and off the road.
“He represented Australia at the 1980 Olympics and raced all over Europe before retiring. We’ve been great mates ever since we were teenagers.”
The Burnses’ Emilia project at Spreyton commenced in the early 2000s with the construction of a large and sprawling family residence. The couple named it Emilia, referencing the typical country farmhouses they had admired in 1980s Emilia-Romagna.
Next came the decision to remove a block of decrepit apple trees and replant with neat rows of Pinot Noir. In truth, the embryonic vineyard was more of a response to a landscaping need than a carefully considered business venture. That too took on the name of the homestead that stood alongside it.
Gail Burns reckons it was only natural that Emilia Wines would finally emerge from the small-scale project the couple established in 2009.
“It was an innocent mistake as far as we were concerned,” she says.
“We hardly gave our decision a moment’s thought. Right from the outset, we’d always used Emilia whenever we referred to our home and our vineyard here. To have to abandon using it was pretty disappointing.”
Momentary disappointment turned to long-term dismay as the Burnses spent the remainder of 2018 coping with living and working in an agricultural zone affected by threats of Queensland fruit fly infection. Tasmania resumed its disease-free status in February 2019, but not before the insect had made periodic rare appearances in the state’s north, threatening $200 million in fruit and vegetable exports.
The good news today is that La Villa Wines is fast becoming one of the rising stars on the vineyard scene in northern Tasmania. The property’s 8ha of vines – which contribute to an impressive portfolio of sparkling and varietal table wines – are being impeccably managed by Marcus Burns.
Meanwhile, sound advice and skilful winemaking from Delamere Vineyards’ Fran Austin and Shane Holloway are creating enviable track records for La Villa’s carefully conceived portfolio – track records Burns never imagined all those years ago in Emilia-Romagna.
La Villa’s handsome vineyard cellar door, five kilometres from Devonport and 100 kilometres from Launceston, is set to re-open in October. Check the website for details.
James Halliday AO with Tyson Stelzer. Image courtesy Tyson Stelzer.
New Companions
Ten wines reviewed in the latest Halliday Wine Companion; two of them rated 97 and given ‘best of the best by variety’ listings; a five-star ‘outstanding winery’ rating and inclusion in the 2021 edition’s ten ‘best value wineries.’
Is it any wonder Mewstone Wines’ Matt and Jonny Hughes have been all smiles since the book’s release in early August?
For more than 30 years, the Halliday Wine Companion (Hardie Grant, $39.95) has been the most comprehensive and authoritative guide on the state of the nation’s wine industry. The former Coldstream Hills winemaker and wine judge of international stature has been prolific in recording his news and reviews of those behind our winemaking and viticulture.
Matt and Jonny Hughes figure among more than 60 Tasmanian wine producers included in his 2021 Wine Companion. That reflects the longstanding and incredibly uplifting support Halliday has contributed to our industry here.
More than 120,000 discretely different tasting notes have been created over that three-decade period, with 3,300 Australian wineries attracting his attention at one time or another. It’s an astonishing achievement that in all probability will never be equalled until at least another 30 years have elapsed.
James Halliday AO has penned his last Halliday Wine Companion, however. That noted, he will still continue to taste wine and write feature articles for the publication and its associated website and bi-monthly magazine.
Stepping into the newly-created position of chief editor is respected writer, critic and workaholic, Tyson Stelzer. The intensely thoughtful and insightful man from Tarragindi, Queensland, has been contributing to Halliday Wine Companions since 2014.
Tyson Stelzer with Champagne Guide. Image courtesy Connoisseur Magazine.
Stelzer is the right person for the job. He has a hugely impressive CV that includes accolades such as International Wine and Spirit Communicator of the Year 2015 and International Champagne Writer of the Year 2011. Stelzer’s self-published Champagne Guides are researched down to the most minute detail and deserve a place on the bookshelf of every sparkling wine lover.
Joining the Halliday Wine Companion tasting team for the 2022 edition are the experienced palates of Jane Faulkner, Steven Creber, Erin Larkin, Jeni Port, Tony Love and Neil Goodwin MW.
Gonna need a bigger book…
Hobart’s Mark Smith wrote his first weekly wine column back in 1994. Now more than 1700 features and 25 years later, he continues to chart the successes of Tasmania’s small scale, cool climate wine industry with regular contributions to some of Australia’s leading industry publications.
PICK OF THE CROP
Mark gives you his honest opinions about the best wines available right now from Tasmania’s wine makers.
2016 La Villa Nebbiolo Rosé $40
Nebbiolo is not a red grape you’d associate with northwest Tasmania. Very much at home in Italy, where it makes long-lasting Barolo, the variety has found new digs at Spreyton’s La Villa Wines. Carefully managed for bottle-fermented sparkling wine, it is handpicked late autumn and despatched to Delamere Vineyards where fizz whiz Fran Austin works her magic. And what an engaging Rosé we’re greeted some 4 years later. The wine is round, smooth and, importantly, gently ripe. Subtle red apple and pomegranate flavours have great persistence and real pizzazz. It’s a little bit of Tassie genius. www.lavillawines.com.au
2019 Ghost Rock Riesling $32
The Northdown district, east of Devonport, might have a cool maritime climate, but the top-notch wines being handcrafted there by Justin Arnold are uber-cool in the glass. This tasty little number is already a year old, and it’s as fresh as a daisy. There’s a lovely racy vibrancy here that instantly telegraphs the variety, while still maintaining a raincheck on unduly assertive acidity. White flowers, crisp citrus/lime and a certain regional minerality dart here and there across the palate. Add freshly shucked oysters and you soon discover this is real rock and roll Riesling. www.ghostrock.com.au
2017 La Villa Cease and Desist Pinot Noir $42
The label on this Cradle Coast Pinot Noir is a none-too-subtle poke in the eye for lawyers who supported legal action against Marcus and Gail Burns when they unwittingly transgressed EU wine law with their Spreyton vineyard’s original business name. The wine’s aromas are appropriately earthy, too. Then comes a palate that is genuinely attractive and more-ish for Pinot lovers seeking secondary characters in their wines. Yes, there are smooth, rich plum and berry flavours, but there is an intriguing melange of chocolate, spice and rainforest notes that make tastings awfully hard to cease and desist. www.lavillawines.com.au
2014 Grey Sands Pinot Noir $45
Glengarry, on the edge of the Tamar Valley, has been home to Grey Sands since 1989. Exposed to the elements all year round, it’s a tough site for the property’s 3.5ha of vines. Pinot Noir really struggles. But that keeps yields low while maximising fruit intensity. Little wonder Rita and Bob Richter seldom release these wines in their youth. Extended maturation has contributed a wealth of aromas and flavours to this six-year-old, from cherry, plum and cola, to more nuanced suggestions of sheep truck, spice and tinder dry charcoal. Sit back, swirl your glass and enjoy. www.greysands.com.au/
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